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« DVD Review: Daughters of Darkness (1971) | Main | DVD/Blu-ray review: Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush (1968) »


DVD Review: Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970)

Mumsy

From the trailer, you might expect this strange relic of the early 70s to be something of a bloodthirsty affair. But Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly actually aims a little higher than that.

Based on a stage play, Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly is rather like a dark version of Entertaining Mr Sloane, but weirder. Much, much weirder.  The movie focuses on a family lost in time - Sonny and Girly (Howard Trevor and Vanessa Howard) are adults dressed as (and in the main acting as) schoolchildren, while Mumsy (Ursula Howells) is the matriarch and Nanny (Pat Heywood) is...well, the Nanny. But something isn't right.

Sonny and Girly trawl the streets looking for 'new friends' - adults who they can bring back to the large family mansion for fun and games...games that end with a sinister twist. After going through several homeless men, Mumsy asks the 'children' to find a better class of friend. It's the start of a slippery slope.

They meet a man simply known as 'New Friend' (Michael Bryant) leaving a party with his girlfriend. After playing some games, they 'accidentally' kill the girlfriend, leaving New Friend at their mercy. Arriving at the house, New Friend is dressed in a school uniform and subjected to a series of games, punishments and threats to his life. He can't leave - the body of his girlfriend sees to that. But he can fight back.

Over time, he breaks the bonds between family members, playing each one off against each other, not least by using his charm to get the females into bed. Girly doesn't like to share her friends, which is bad news for the other females in the house...and particularly Sonny.

Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly is a movie that could only have been made all those years ago. It's weird, it's quirky, sometimes slightly risque and occasionally bloodthirsty - although there isn't the amount of violence you might expect from a movie about a murderous family. The movie actually relies more on the plot, specifically the relationships within the family and how just a small crack in that tight-knit family can lead to total breakdown. Well, almost total breakdown - there's always likely to be a twist or two with a film as odd as this.

But is it a good film? Well, yes, if odd period pieces are our thing. It's highly unbelievable, a bit silly and at times, a little annoying too. But as I said previously, that strong plot, worked on the stage well ahead of the movie, is enough to underpin all the silliness and holes in the plot (like 'why don't the friends just leave?').

Great picture quality from a new HD transfer, a restored soundtrack and plenty of extras and trailers only help its case. If you are looking or something different...well, this is certainly such a thing.

Find out more about the DVD at the Amazon website

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